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American Psycho

American Psycho

List Price: $14.00
Your Price: $11.20
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good themes, boring and monotonous presentation.
Review: Although i can appreciate that the book itself isnt a story, more of a long running commentary on materialsm and greed of 80s politics and society, lets not forget that it is still a fictional book.

Considering this fact, the plot in the book never really goes anywhere. Nothing really happens in the book other than work, dinner, nightclubs, killing etc. for me this made the book quite boring and monotonous as a story itself and the fact that it doesnt come to any real conclusion is even more frustrating.

What i did enjoy about the book was the complex character development of Patrick Bateman himself. Clearly trapped and frustrated about the world around himself, he doesnt really care for anything except himself and is in clear acknowledgement of his own insanity, but never really tries to justify his actions in any way.

If the themes of the book had been accompanied by a good story and plot, it would have been a definate 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Bret Easton Ellis is clearly ahead of his time
Review: Whatever you might think of this novel, there is no denying that Mr. Ellis has a bit more on his mind than your typical author. "American Psycho" is piece of art, a more articulent and important social commentary than has been seen since Pynchon or DeLillo. Ellis is firmly in control of his art, surpassing Palhaniuk and Ballard as his subordinates. Not one to be missed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You have been warned
Review: When reviewers say that reading this changed them, they do not exaggerate. The forensic detailing of the violence is ugly but what gives the book impact is the detail of the protagonist's, Patrick Bateman's, mind. There is no evidence of humanity. Perhaps that is what makes him memorable. We are used to violence in our world, but only in a controlled (SOD/W Robert Macarmara) and explicable (TV news and crime shows always have a cause and villian) manner. PB is the strawman made without straw.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: unrecommending this book
Review: this is a horrid book...the movie was just as dull... but certainly more entertaining than...this. there was no point whatsoever...constant mundane descriptions of unimportant things... more than half the book was filler, with no purpose. so yes, he is a psycho... who just happens to get away with random acts of sex-tinged murder...any good writer can make any plot interesting adding clever words, metaphor, etc etc...it came out as stiff, rigid, and basic, like he just scribbled some random thoughts down...if you must read this, judge for yourself, but get it from the library, and reserve your money for a book worth it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: First-rate satire--loved the book
Review: I have read and loved each of Ellis's novels. Though my favorite is Glamorama, a book about terrorists and super-models, American Psycho is a close second. American Psycho is not a horrer novel, a suspense thriller, or a how-to book on torture. American Psycho is a very funny, if bitter, satire about materialism, mysoginy, racism, capitalism gone wrong, the yuppie lifestyle, and plain old-fashioned amorality. Patrick Bateman is the embodiment of all of this, an '80s yuppie who may or may not be a serial killer.
The book has no plot--it doesn't need one. A plot would just be distracting. Patrick is not a hero or even a decent protagonist--he is the object of scorn for the reader and Ellis himself. I am always confused by people who refer to Bateman as the "Hero" of the book--Ellis himself dubbed Patrick a "Psycho." And the complaints about Ellis's explicit violence are ridiculous--what do you want, sugar-coated, politically-correct, reader-friendly violence? Ellis is open and honest about the horrible things his characters do and it is the mark of a great writer to never flinch from the truth. And Ellis has a great sense of humor, to boot. REad this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Almost didn't make it through...
Review: What can I say other than this atrocity is a work of genius! I am a fairly avid reader of all types of fiction and non-fiction and never before has a book caused so much damage to me physically and mentally! I was warned when I purchased it but shrugged it off without question; needless to say, I almost didn't make it without ripping every single strand of my hair out. There were numerous times I was forced to put the book down and take a breather and after the scene with the little boy, I almost refused to go on...But then, the once again horrific fascination took a hold of me and I was voyaging through this monster like some kind of masochist. Oh yes, the gore, sex and mere idea of the incidents involved was enough to shake me pretty bad but that was least of it's harm! Some people who've read this only seem to be affected by the violence without even mentioning the reason WHY Bateman was a madman to begin with. And I can't help but wonder if I lived amongst the people he did and called them my 'friends' would I not feel compelled to take some sort of violent action as well, even if it was only in my mind? This creation is the darkest of satires I could ever imagine and those who refer to it as 'boring' and 'unmoving' must require one hell of a lot to shake them up and I would be most interested in seeing what that would be!!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Interesting, but incredibly boring
Review: So I've heard a lot about this book, about how it's so awesome, so I buy it at the bookstore. I'm reading, and I realize how the same events basically repeated over and over, with different circumstances. They go to restaurants, go to parties, talk with people (which is irrelevant to the entire story). Pat Bateman will picked up chicks, have sex with them (which basically turns into a porn story), then kills them.

I read the first 300 pages. After that, I was skimming along. At page 360 (its 400 pages long), I gave up. It wasn't the brutality of each murder that got to me. No, this actually got boring after the 8th time. The violence didn't disturb me at all. What disturbed me was the fact that the plot goes nowhere, neither do the characters. Because of this, the book becomes tedious and drags on, it's a complete bore.

Others have stated in their reviews about how the book is excellent for presenting the theme of how materialism [is bad]. About how we're so consumed with possessions and they control our lives. Yeah, I understood the theme. I even learned it from other books, like Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, which was FAR better. This book, however, is completely boring, unless you enjoy knowing what every character is wearing in EXTREME detail, down to the designer.

Just, stay away from the book, because it's boring. Very, very boring.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Are You Kidding?
Review: ... I first learned about "AP" by reading a True Crime classic, "Lethal Marriage" by Nick Pron. Paul Bernardo, the killer of that book, loved "AP". What a recommendation! Perhaps I was turned off by a work of fiction. As a native New Yorker, I was definitely turned off by the completely unbelieveable scenes and description of the City. We do NOT live this way! With so many superior works of true to life, cold blooded sickos available with the click of one's mouse, why waste time reading about sickos who never existed? Those who have read this far and are unfamiliar with "Lethal Marriage" should [check it out]. There is a reason why authors like Ann Rule are popular and "AP" is a perfect demonstration. Truth is indeed stanger than fiction-and it makes better reading.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You will hate it and absolutely love it at the same time.
Review: Bret Easton Ellis is as close as it comes to being the preeminent voice of his generation. Never has a book been so engrossing while at the same time so disturbing since J.D. Salinger's "Cather in the Rye." Ellis should be recognized for his incredibly original prose style somewhat reminiscent of William Faulkner. He is a writer that matters in the turbulent times of youth. The book is both shocking and mesmerizing. It will no doubt haunt you and move you. You will not be able to put this book down. Bret Easton Ellis is a writer for all of us looking for answers to unanswerable questions. He's someone that has been through everything we're going through and makes light of everything we hate about ourselves and others. BUY THIS BOOK!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Graphic and Intense
Review: I've read quite a few books and consider myself fairly well read. Having read the majority of Ellis' novels, I figured I was well prepared to read American Psycho. I was wrong. American Psycho is the single most disturbing novel I have ever read.

The novel follows an unspecified period of time in the life of Patrick Bateman - all-knowing fashion consultant to the 20-something Manhattan scene, gourmand, young upwardly mobile professional on Wall Street, music critic, ladies man, talk show fanatic, recreational drug user, rapist and serial killer. Ellis plunges readers into the life and mind of this Renaissance man and we're given a glimpse into something truly horrific.

American Psycho is not for the timid. Both the sex and violence are extremely graphic, bordering, in parts, on the literary equivalent of a snuff film. And although there is a strong desire to throw the book across the room and walk away from it at times, its utterly impossible to put down.


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